WHAT ROLE DID THEATRE, DRAMA, ORATORY AND OTHER PERFORMANCE SERVE IN SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND? WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN THEATERS AND PERFORMANCES? WHAT WERE SETS, COSTUMES, AND SO ON LIKE IN THE THEATER OF SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND?
Answer prepared by: Adan AH
The Era of Drama in England was heavily influenced by Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, as they encouraged the arts to thrive. Whether this meant bear-baiting performances or a comedy, people from all classes came to watch, usually in inns, halls, courts. As Shakespeare grew up, the introduction of theaters provided the best accommodations for actors and audiences. Higher classes received a "private" theater, an indoor, expensive theater so that the wealthy and educated received their own seating and enjoyed what usually was a performance of satire (Bevington, Welsh, Greenwald 19). A "public" theater attracted many more people, usually the lower class, in a theater that had at least some exposure to the elements, where the audiences had to stand, unless willing to pay a higher price for seating. A theater's role in England was to provide the ease of escaping into a performance; a performance's role was providing relief from everyday life and let you slip into a different world.
Acting was a common practice, but like the Greeks, in England no women were allowed on stage. Female roles were usually given to a boy. Since males had to play both roles, and actors wanted to provide a break from real life with outbreaks of plague and horrible sanitation, they would wear whatever was the highest fashion at the time, for men and women (Searching for Shakespeare 92). The costuming wasn't just clothes, but hair styles, jewelry, and make-up. Yet clothing was biggest part of costuming. Clothing then was very elaborate compared to our time, as they were a signal of rank, and people wearing above their rank would be punished, except for actors. A side effect was that costuming was the most expensive part of owning a theater. Many companies got costumes as cast-offs from the very wealthy, or had to make it themselves. Women’s clothing cost much more, but was easier to obtain as most wealthy women didn’t wear the same clothes twice (Searching 113).
This is the stage of the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare was part-owner of.
After getting costumes, a problem that companies had to go through was the change of scenes and scenery as there were no curtains to hide behind until sets were changed, and sets were simple. Usually only the most important parts of a set, such as a table, throne, tree, sun or moon to show where actors are located where used in scenery (Barbara Momat, Paul Werstine). Scene changes were shown by all the actors going off-stage and then coming back from the other side, or by moving all the actors to a new position on stage. Scene changes and sets seem like small details, but they are important in a play, as they let the audience believe the play is real, not just ordinary people reading lines on a stage.
Costuming, sets, and scenery are important parts of a performance, but the play is the essential element! A performance was done with much pride, often with playwrights themselves as one of the actors. Elizabethan plays included many monologues and used intricate language. Jacobean performances focused on comedy, to complete the joyous mood of the people because of Queen Elizabeth's death (Michael Best). All aspects of theaters in Shakespeare’s England influenced us now, letting someone feel a play's message instead of just see it, noticing the smaller details as being key to a performance, and teaching us how even though this occurred nearly 400 years ago, we can still see values in all aspects of theater. Links about the Theaters Want to learn more about theaters? This link tells you about theaters in Old England. Are you wondering what the Globe Theater looks like? Click here for a virtual tour!
Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. Introduction. A Midsummer Night's Dream. By William Shakespeare. 1600. New York: Washington Square P, 1993. xiii-lii. Print.
WHAT ROLE DID THEATRE, DRAMA, ORATORY AND OTHER PERFORMANCE SERVE IN SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND? WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN THEATERS AND PERFORMANCES? WHAT WERE SETS, COSTUMES, AND SO ON LIKE IN THE THEATER OF SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND?
Answer prepared by: Adan AH
The Era of Drama in England was heavily influenced by Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, as they encouraged the arts to thrive. Whether this meant bear-baiting performances or a comedy, people from all classes came to watch, usually in inns, halls, courts. As Shakespeare grew up, the introduction of theaters provided the best accommodations for actors and audiences. Higher classes received a "private" theater, an indoor, expensive theater so that the wealthy and educated received their own seating and enjoyed what usually was a performance of satire (Bevington, Welsh, Greenwald 19). A "public" theater attracted many more people, usually the lower class, in a theater that had at least some exposure to the elements, where the audiences had to stand, unless willing to pay a higher price for seating. A theater's role in England was to provide the ease of escaping into a performance; a performance's role was providing relief from everyday life and let you slip into a different world.
Acting was a common practice, but like the Greeks, in England no women were allowed on stage. Female roles were usually given to a boy. Since males had to play both roles, and actors wanted to provide a break from real life with outbreaks of plague and horrible sanitation, they would wear whatever was the highest fashion at the time, for men and women (Searching for Shakespeare 92). The costuming wasn't just clothes, but hair styles, jewelry, and make-up. Yet clothing was biggest part of costuming. Clothing then was very elaborate compared to our time, as they were a signal of rank, and people wearing above their rank would be punished, except for actors. A side effect was that costuming was the most expensive part of owning a theater. Many companies got costumes as cast-offs from the very wealthy, or had to make it themselves. Women’s clothing cost much more, but was easier to obtain as most wealthy women didn’t wear the same clothes twice (Searching 113).
After getting costumes, a problem that companies had to go through was the change of scenes and scenery as there were no curtains to hide behind until sets were changed, and sets were simple. Usually only the most important parts of a set, such as a table, throne, tree, sun or moon to show where actors are located where used in scenery (Barbara Momat, Paul Werstine). Scene changes were shown by all the actors going off-stage and then coming back from the other side, or by moving all the actors to a new position on stage. Scene changes and sets seem like small details, but they are important in a play, as they let the audience believe the play is real, not just ordinary people reading lines on a stage.
Costuming, sets, and scenery are important parts of a performance, but the play is the essential element! A performance was done with much pride, often with playwrights themselves as one of the actors. Elizabethan plays included many monologues and used intricate language. Jacobean performances focused on comedy, to complete the joyous mood of the people because of Queen Elizabeth's death (Michael Best). All aspects of theaters in Shakespeare’s England influenced us now, letting someone feel a play's message instead of just see it, noticing the smaller details as being key to a performance, and teaching us how even though this occurred nearly 400 years ago, we can still see values in all aspects of theater.
Links about the Theaters
Want to learn more about theaters? This link tells you about theaters in Old England.
Are you wondering what the Globe Theater looks like? Click here for a virtual tour!
WORKS CITED
Best, Michael. “Jacobean Tragedians”. Internet Shakespeare Editions. November 2005. April 4, 2010. <http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/drama/latercontemporaries.html>
Bevington, David, Anne Marie Welsh, Michael L. Greenwald. Shakespeare: Script, Stage, Screen. Pearson Education. 2006. 18-21. Print.
Chrisp, Peter. Shakespeare. New York: DK Publishing. 2004. 33-4, 40-1, 49, 62-3. Print.
Mowat, Barbara A. and Werstine, Paul. “Inside the Theaters” . Discovering Shakespeare. 2005. April 4, 2010. <http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=962>
Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. Introduction. A Midsummer Night's Dream. By William Shakespeare. 1600. New York: Washington Square P, 1993. xiii-lii. Print.
Mowat, Barbara A. and Werstine, Paul. “London Playhouses and Other Sites” . Discovering Shakespeare. 2005. April 4, 2010. <http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=961>
Mowat, Barbara A. and Werstine, Paul. “Shakespeare‘s Theater” . Discovering Shakespeare. 2005. April 4, 2010. <http://www.folger.edu/Content/Discover-Shakespeare/Shakespeares-Theater/>
Mowat, Barbara A. and Werstine, Paul. “Staging and Performance” . Discovering Shakespeare. 2005. April 4, 2010. <http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=963>
Searching for Shakespeare. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. 2006. 91-2, 104, 113-21. Print.